Doggy Pat Peeve

I'm in the midst of reading (listening to) a great book called For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend, by Pat McConnell. While not a dog training book per se, it is full of insight and helpful information, going deep into dog (and human) psychology, sociology and physiology. I am looking at Cabana with new eyes and much deeper understanding for how she feels and communicates.

One no-brainer tidbit the author shares is the fact that most dogs don't really like to be patted on the head. I say it's a no-brainer, because if someone gave us bouncy pats on the tops of our heads, we'd all say it doesn't feel so great. But it's amazing how automatically people perform this gesture. After reading this, I purposely patted Cabana on her head, and sure enough, her body language told me that she isn't fond of that expression of my affection. She took a few steps away from me, still wanting my affection but acting a bit stiff, rather than going limp and relaxed like she would from an ear fondling.

The worst part is that I have caught myself patting her head a few times since without even thinking about it! It's not as annoying as the pat-pat-pat shown in the image above, but just a neutral stroke across the top of her head. Another human form of affection that dogs don't really care for is getting hugs. I wouldn't say Cabana dislikes these kinds of touches, but I don't think she enjoys them either. I'd like to give Cabana more affection that actually feels good to her, rather than things she just tolerates.

Some other topics in the book include how to select a puppy from a litter, how to judge its temperament, whether dogs have the ability to rationalize, tips for dealing with anger and separation anxiety, and reading a dog's facial and body language.